Classical guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas received a rock star’s welcome and a standing ovation two years ago when he performed with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra.

Expect nothing less next week when the 33-year-old Spanish virtuoso returns to Mobile for a trio of concerts — two with the MSO on May 1-2 and an April 29 performance with the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra at the Saenger Theatre in downtown Mobile.

Next weekend’s concerts will feature Sáinz Villegas with the MSO performing Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto in D Major and Rodrigo’s “Fantasia para un gentilhombre” (“Fantasy for a Gentleman”). He says the two concertos, although dramatically dissimilar, make “a great combination” for the concert audience.

Rodrigo was often inspired by composers of the Renaissance or Baroque eras, according to the guitarist, and this five-movement piece is an example.

“He used all these beautiful melodies and adapted them for his own style and language and developed a beautiful orchestration and a dialogue with the guitar,” he says.

“This concerto has more dialogue between the guitar and orchestra, where the Aranjuez was more straightforward. The Fantasia . . . is a combination of different movements, each distinctive with its own character.”

The young musicians of the MSYO, under the direction of Robert J. Seebacher, will perform a challenging and very grownup repertoire including Joaquin Rodrigo’s beloved Concierto de Aranjuez, which Sáinz Villegas performed in April 2008 at the Saenger Theatre.

The 60-member youth orchestra, is a full symphony ensemble of top middle- and high-school musicians from across the Gulf Coast. Their concert will begin with “March to the Scaffold” from Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique.” The program also includes the Finale from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, the “Little Russian.”

The concert will be the second in a series in which MYSO students perform with world-class soloists. In 2009, students performed with acclaimed violinist Midori; next year they close the season with Russian pianist Yuri Rozum.

(Press-Register/G.M. Andrews)Conductor and music director Robert J. Seebacher with the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra in April 2009.

“It’s incredibly inspiring,” Seebacher says. “”We get a chance to work with a lot of local artists and great soloists, but when the students get a chance to make music with Spain’s national guitarist . . . it’s a big deal, and it really shows the orchestra how far they’ve come in a couple of years. It challenges them beyond anything else.”

Seebacher says he is satisfied with the progress of the youth orchestra, but he knows it is essential to keep aspiring young musicians motivated.

“One of the reasons we keep doing this every year is we have to keep reminding them that once you’ve raised the bar to a certain level, you have to work even harder to keep it there,” he says. “They are realizing now that the bar is very high and will remain very high.

“We have to keep them playing and practicing, and reminding them that they really are the best of the young musicians along the Gulf Coast.

“In the orchestra world, there is no plateau — you’re either getting better or getting worse. That’s really it.”

Speaking by long distance from California, Sáinz Villegas says he regards the opportunity to perform on stage with youngsters “a thrilling experience.” His philanthropic project, the Music Without Borders Legacy, allows kids to have an early exposure to classical music in the classroom.

“I enjoy working with young people,” he says, “and this offers me the opportunity to keep in contact with young musicians.”

Sáinz Villegas has established himself as one of the world’s leading classical guitarists and has performed in more than 20 countries on such prestigious stages as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Theater. He has received more than 25 international awards.

Two years ago, he wowed the Saenger audience with his dazzling technique and his shimmering gold lamé suit that made him resemble a young Elvis.

“When we booked Pablo in 2008 we were aware that he is one of the most amazing guitarists performing today,” says Greg Gordon, chief operating officer for the MSO, “but we weren’t prepared for his charisma and amazing connection with the audience.

“When he completed the concerto, the audience went wild and erupted into one of the most sustained ovations we’ve ever had for a soloist. We were immediately flooded with requests to have him return.”

Sáinz Villegas recalls that concert well. It was “a fantastic and very unique experience,” he says.

“Some concerts you keep in your mind for a long, long time. Playing two years ago in Mobile was one of those experiences I will keep in my memory forever. The audience was so generous and the music spoke by itself.”

The guitarist says he especially enjoyed working with conductor Scott Speck.

“When I play with him, I feel we are . . . breathing the music the same way, in the same spots,” he says. “(In the end), that’s what matters, to feel the music in the same way.

"When that happens, the music speaks by itself and the magic of the music appears in the hall. That experience two years ago was something to remember.”